Guided by social disorganization theory and the emerging concept of collective efficacy, the proposed research seeks to identify neighborhood structural characteristics (e.g., poverty) and social processes (e.g., collective efficacy) that influence citizens' assessment of quality of life (e.g., fear of crime) across San Antonio Hispanic/Latino neighborhoods. However, this research does not exclusively focus on neighborhood social processes of collective efficacy; instead, alternative mechanisms of neighborhood informal social control, such as the Hispanic culture and religion are also investigated. Using survey, systematic social observation, census, and official incident crime data, hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) is used to examine the effects of neighborhood structural and social features on citizens' perception of quality of life. There is a possibility that Hispanic/Latino neighborhoods possess unique mechanisms of social control based on cultural and religious characteristics, which may explain the relatively favorable physical and mental health of Hispanic/Latino citizens (Scribner, 1996), as well as other citizens living among such neighborhoods. The investigation of the role that culture and religion play in facilitating social control is important, because research indicates that minority neighborhoods face difficult challenges in developing collective efficacy (Sampson et al., 1999). The broad, long term objectives are to: (1) reduce the structural barriers (e.g., poverty) that threaten the physical health of citizens (e.g., victims), (2) improve the social processes that influence citizens' assessment of quality of life, and (3) increase the capacity of Iocal commumities to solve social problems (e.g., crime). Understanding the neighborhood context in which a person lives is important for improving quality of life.